Upbeat in a down season

The Bears' linebacker may be struggling a bit on the field, but his personal life is back in order

November 21, 2003|By David Haugh, Tribune staff reporter.

By now, Bears fans have seen the replay of middle linebacker Brian Urlacher getting blocked last Sunday as the Rams' Marshall Faulk runs through his hole for a 52-yard gain almost as often as they have seen Urlacher's new fast-food commercial.

To critics, that singular play symbolizes a season gone bad for Urlacher; a season defined by what he hasn't done more than by what he has. His team-leading tackles total of 90 through 10 games puts him on track for his lowest output ever. His 10-game stretch of not being involved in a turnover represents the longest of his career.

Whether teams are running at him or away from him, money plays have eluded the Bears' $56 million man.

"I'm trying," Urlacher said Thursday. "Seems like there's nothing in my area in the passing game, and in the running game I just haven't gotten the ball out yet. That's the way it goes sometimes."

So why is Urlacher smiling these days?

A good guess: Her name is Pamela, and her picture taped inside Urlacher's locker has helped him keep a tumultuous 3-7 football season in perspective. His daughter turns 3 next month, and Urlacher can't wait to celebrate her birthday with his reunited family. He recently reconciled with his wife, Laurie, after a separation of several months that might have re-arranged some priorities as well as awakened Urlacher as to just how far his celebrity reaches from Chicago.

When Urlacher partied with Paris Hilton in Las Vegas during an off weekend in September, it was in the New York Post the following Monday morning. When Hilton sat in Urlacher's Soldier Field skybox for the Monday night game against the Packers, it was beamed into millions of living rooms all over America.

How involved Urlacher and Hilton ever were remains unclear and, arguably, irrelevant, now that the only person whose business that really was apparently has had all her questions answered.

"My wife knows what happened, I told her, so it really wasn't that big of a deal, to tell you the truth," said Urlacher, his wedding ring more obvious this month. "No one knew what was going on except for me. It was so blown out of proportion that it didn't bother me at all because it was so stupid. Once people saw [Hilton] it just got blown way out of proportion."

Urlacher doesn't buy the theory that the paparazzi-like attention centered on his personal life affected his play or wore his patience to the point he blasted officials after one game.

He chuckles at the notion that signing the richest contract in Bears history in June softened him and has taken away his edge. He accepts the scrutiny that comes with being the NFL's highest-paid player but cautions against drawing too tight of a connection between what happens off the field and what happens on it.

"People may think it has something to do with it, but it doesn't," Urlacher said. "I was stable when I was [separated] too. Am I playing better or playing worse now that we're back together? I don't know.

"I'm happier now, we're both happy and the baby's happy and that's really all that matters. It's nice I get to see [Pamela] every day and we get to spend time with her together. That makes a difference."

The couple just bought a house in Lake County, and Urlacher plans to stick around more in the coming off-season to work out with his Bears teammates and keep working on being a good dad and husband.

"Things are going good from that aspect," Urlacher said. "But football and personal life are different."

Indeed, while Urlacher's home life takes shape, work could be better.

Overall, the Bears' defense already has one more interception than it did last season (10) but has only 14 takeaways in 10 games--the sixth-lowest total in the league.

Obviously, Urlacher's lack of big plays commands the closest inspection. His signature play so far this season came on a sack against Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon seven weeks ago, and he has just 1 1/2 sacks overall. The last turnover Urlacher was involved in came when he recovered a fumble against Carolina last Dec. 22. He hasn't forced a fumble in almost a year--last Dec. 9 against Miami.

On the Faulk run, fullback Joey Goodspeed, signed as a free agent three weeks earlier, simply made a nice block on a fourth-and-1 lead play that demanding fans expect Urlacher to make.

"I think it's a product of the way things have gone; it will occur. He's too athletic and gets around the ball too much to have it go on for the whole season," coach Dick Jauron said of Urlacher's turnover drought. "So hopefully it won't."

Urlacher hopes he can change the subject by changing the course of the season, starting Sunday in Denver.

"If you don't win games, people are going to criticize you, that's all it comes down to," Urlacher said. "Maybe I haven't made as many big plays. . . . It's been up and down.

"We struggled on defense early, but as the season's gone on we're getting better and better. But it might be too late."